Explore Your Creativity With An Aquarium

Tropical fish one of the most amazing pets that one could keep in their home or workplace. Tropical aquarium keeping is fast becoming an extremely popular hobby for many people young and old. Whether it is a small fishbowl with just a few fish or a 4 foot deluxe aquarium, tropical fish will make a beautiful center piece or highlight of any room.

There is nothing more relaxing than coming home after a hard day at work and watching your beautiful tropical aquarium with the fishes peacefully swimming around your carefully placed decorations and aquarium plants. You can set up your tank to show you a complex array of rock’s, wood, plants, and other decorations or you can aim for the simplistic approach. Either way you can express your own creativity, likes, and dislikes in how you choose to create your tropical fishes home.

With the popularity of tropical fish tanks, there is a wide variety of different types of decorations to choose from. Some people choose to take a humorous approach by setting up animated figures and cartoon characters, or skeletons and skulls. You could choose a medieval theme with castles and dragons, or keep it more natural with some fancy pieces of wood and rock.

Another big decision tropical fish I knows me to make is whether to have live plants, fake plants, or no plants at all in their aquarium. Of course this decision will be influenced by the type of fish you choose to keep in your tropical tank. Some fish will benefit more from having live plants in the aquarium while others will eat them quicker than they have a chance to lay their root’s. There are also a great many different species of plants available in a wide array of colors and features.

Whether to use rocks in your fish tank also depends on the species of fish you wishing to keep. For example some species such as cichlids need sheltered areas to claim their own territory, otherwise they may become aggressive towards the more timid fish in the aquarium. On the other hand there are species such as shoaling fish that will be a lot happier in a tank with wide open areas for them to swim in. If you decide to use real rocks you must be extremely careful where you get them from and that they are safe for use in aquariums. If in doubt fake rock’s are a good alternative.

Pieces of wood in an aquarium will also help fish that need area to claim as their own and more timid fish that like to have an area of safe retreat. If you are lucky enough to find a unique piece of wood that is safe for aquarium use it can be a very attractive addition to your aquarium. Live plants may even start growing around the wood and mosses will be attracted to its surface.

In summary how you choose to decorate your tropical fish tank is a very personal choice and one which will allow you to become very experimental and discover the creative side that you never knew you had. There are no rules or limitations that she must abide by as long as you put the health and well-being of your precious tropical fish first and foremost.

Aquarium Fish Health: The White Spot Disease And Its Treatment

One of the most frustrating moments in the life of a fish breeder or fish owner is when one or more fish dies. And this is one of the most common problems aquarists face. But sometimes, no matter what you do, death is inevitable especially in a fish tank. Many diseases are caused by internal or external parasites that live in the tank.

This is why you should observe as often as possible your fish and detect the problem in early stages. Many diseases, if discovered quickly, can be treated.

White Spot disease is one of the most common infections that appear on fish and is caused by the parasite - Ichthyophthirius Multifillis which swims and attaches itself to the fish.

Here are some behavioral symptoms in a fish that is infected with White Spot disease. If you notice some of them, start a treatment.

- The fish looses its appetite and has no response to food

- It stays constantly on the water surface or on the ground
- If it stays on the water surface it opens the mouth frequently and gasps for air

- The fish has a tendency to get close to the rocks and rubbing the body to against them

- Lethargy and a general state of weakness

- Hovering in a corner

- While swimming, the fish keeps the clamps up.

But one of the most obvious signs of infection is the pin head-size white spots that appear on the fins and sometimes on the whole body. This is a clear sign of infection with White Spot Disease.

This ailment can be treated with a solution of Methylene Blue. This solution can be bought from a chemist or from any fish shop. The treatment is like this: a 1% stock solution is poured into 0.8 to 1.0ml per gallon of tank water. Ad all the amount at once and repeat the process in a day or two. Before you start the treatment it is good to remove the dirt from the bottom of the tank and use aeration with bubbles near the water surface. A dirty tank bottom could inactivate the solution by absorbing it.

It is very important not to interrupt the treatment till all the white spots are gone. After the spots disappear, change all the tank water because a long exposure to the Methylene Blue chemical can affect the fish’s fertility. If used in a weak dosage, the Methylene Blue has no side effects to young fish and also to aquarium plants.

If your filtration system is charcoal based, you should consider removing it, so that the Methylene Blue isn’t absorbed by the charcoal.

Is It Possible to Build a Tank into Furniture?

It is possible to build a fish tank into a furniture article. A built-in aquarium makes a most attractive display in your home. An aquarium may also be built into a wall, or in a wall between two rooms. Each job presents its own problems, but there are certain things that apply to all of them.

An aquarium tank will expand slightly when it is filled, so you should never fit a fish tank snugly into a space. You must always allow at least 1″ for expansion on each side. When the fish tank is fitted into a closed object, keep evaporation in mind. Line the sides and top with a waterproof material or non-toxic waterproof paint, and allow adequate ventilation.

When building a fish tank into an outside wall, you must remember that the back of the compartment may become quite cold during the winter and hot during the summer - insulate it. You should always allow easy accessibility for frequent chores such as feeding, siphoning, glass cleaning, etc. You should allow at least a 6-inch space should be allowed above the aquarium to permit entry of a hand.

A fluorescent light (a multi-spectrum bulb is best) is preferable to an incandescent one for an aquarium in an enclosed place. The heat given off by an incandescent light is a definite drawback, particularly during the warmer months. You should always make provision so that the fish tank can be removed when necessary without destroying the piece of furniture. When you are using a motor-driven pump in the same compartment with the fish tank, you must allow adequate ventilation for it as the motor-driven pumps give off quite a bit of heat.

A hinged frame which conceals the frame of the aquarium can greatly enhance its appearance. It gives the aquarium a picture like quality. Frequently a wall installation of the fish tank is made in a living-room wall which is next to a closet. A shelf is built in the closet which supports the fish tank against an opening cut into the viewing-room wall. All servicing can then be done from the rear.

Where should the fish tank be placed?

First of all, we must consider what the tank is to stand on. Water is quite heavy-8.3 pounds per U.S. gallon. Thus a 15-gallon tank weighs about 125 pounds. This is certainly no weight for a delicate end table to support. The base for a tank must be a sturdy one - flat and level. Any projections, tilt, or unsteadiness may cause leakage. The location should be a fairly permanent one. Tanks cannot be moved readily. Also, the height must be considered. It should be high enough to be seen standing up and low enough to be viewed comfortably while sitting down. An ideal height for a stand is 30″ to 36″.

Stands expressly designed for supporting aquaria are available. Most of these are equipped with a shelf which can be used for an auxiliary tank or for equipment. The artistically inclined often put plants on the shelf and train ivy up the legs to afford an exotic touch. These stands have a flat top, open in the center, with just a rim around the edge to support the tank. The center is left open so that water, which may accidentally drip, will not run under and accumulate below the tank. The outside rim which supports the tank only along the four edges is perfectly satisfactory.

When the stand rests on a rug or linoleum, furniture coasters should be used to prevent damage. Some buyers are surprised to see that there is no lip around a stand to prevent sliding. Because of a tank’s construction, all of the weight and pressure are directed straight down, and it would require a very heavy shove to dislodge a tank. In fact, a shove heavy enough to move a full tank is more likely to break the tank before moving it. The moral of the story is: don’t shove a full tank.

Think twice before putting a tank on an expensive piece of highly polished furniture. Working around an aquarium, water is often spilled, and tank water is injurious to polished surfaces unless it is wiped up immediately. Surfaces which heat up, such as television cabinets, may cause the cement to soften. Several layers of asbestos under the tank will prevent this. A table-top stand has recently become available. This is approximately 4″ high and is designed for holding tanks on furniture.

Aquarium Light Tips

Fish don’t need so much light as the plants do. A dim light is sufficient for fishes - usually just enough for them to see food. Very few fishes will eat in the dark. An exception is the Catfish; Catfishes, as a group, are largely nocturnal in their activities.

When no light reaches the fish tank, a great change comes over the fishes. Switch a light on suddenly after a protracted period of darkness and you will find most fishes in your tank are motionless. With few exceptions you will find that their color has faded. Such fishes have the brilliant red-and-green Neon fade to a white and light pink. Many fishes, you will notice, are lying on the bottom of the aquarium.

It should also be remembered that it takes some time for most fishes to adjust to a sudden light. If they are disturbed before their eyes have adjusted, they dash blindly about, even leaping out of the water. It is useless to feed them at this time, because they cannot see the food.

On the other hand, constant light seems to do no harm. Fishes in aquaria under constant light appear to live just as well as those that have alternate periods of darkness and light. The breeding cycle of many animals is controlled by the increasing and decreasing of the number of daylight hours as the seasons change. But very little work has been done with fishes in this field. What little has been done shows that light is a definite factor in the breeding of some, but not all, fishes.

Recently published experiments conducted with the young of certain marine fishes indicate that the fish will grow more vigorously when given a period of darkness in which to rest. How this affects the total longevity of the fish is not known.

There is no hard-and-fast rule governing light for the aquarium plants. It varies with the type of light, intensity of light, depth of water, kind of plant, the distance the light is from the water surface, and the amount of daylight that reaches the tank. Usually, if the fish tank is kept in a shaded area of a room, you should provide some artificial light in order to supply what the plants need. Lighting from a reflector which can be regulated is covered later.

Aquarium Plants

Under the influence of sunlight, plants and only plants have the ability to manufacture their own food. These green plants combine water and carbon dioxide to form sugars in a process known as “photosynthesis.”

During this process, free oxygen is released in excess of that used by the plant for respiration. This occurs only under the influence of bright light. At other times, the plant breathes normally, consuming oxygen and giving off carbon dioxide. Photosynthesis occurs only when the plant in light is healthy and growing.

Light, then, is essential to your aquarium so that the plants will grow properly and give off oxygen and consume carbon dioxide. The “wonder material” that regulates the food manufacturing process is chlorophyll - the material that gives plants their green color.

There is a good deal of controversy concerning the amount of oxygen that the aquarium plants actually supply for fishes to use.

It should be remembered that water can dissolve only a certain amount of oxygen; any excess oxygen is therefore released at the surface. It is not stored in the water for later use as the fishes require it. Carbon dioxide is released and oxygen is taken into the water. The process can be hastened by bubbling stream of air through the water. This tends to agitate the water and increase the area exposed to the surface in proportion to the amount of circulation engendered. Manual stirring of the water serves the same purpose, but it is not so convenient a method as the mechanical one.

The greater the area of the exposed-to-air water surface, the faster oxygen will be taken in and carbon dioxide released. The greater the air surface, the more fishes can be kept in a given volume of water. You do not really increase the capacity of the fish tank to hold fishes simply by raising the height of the water in the tank. You must also increase the other dimensions in proportion.

Probably the same number of fishes could be maintained in a bare aquarium as in one with plants. Then, you may ask, why bother with aquarium plants? Well, plants serve many functions besides the disputed one of oxygenating. The principal function is an esthetic one: there would not be much beauty to a tank without plants. They provide an excellent background against which your colorful fishes will display themselves to best advantage.

Where should the Fish tank be placed?

First of all, we must consider what the fish tank is to stand on. Water is quite heavy-8.3 pounds per U.S. gallon. Thus a 15-gallon fish tank weighs about 125 pounds. This is certainly no weight for a delicate end table to support. The base for a fish tank must be a sturdy one - flat and level. Any projections, tilt, or unsteadiness may cause leakage. The location should be a fairly permanent one. Fish tanks cannot be moved readily. Also, the height must be considered. It should be high enough to be seen standing up and low enough to be viewed comfortably while sitting down. An ideal height for a stand is 30″ to 36″.

Stands expressly designed for supporting aquaria are available. Most of these are equipped with a shelf which can be used for an auxiliary tank or for equipment. The artistically inclined often put plants on the shelf and train ivy up the legs to afford an exotic touch. These stands have a flat top, open in the center, with just a rim around the edge to support the tank. The center is left open so that water, which may accidentally drip, will not run under and accumulate below the tank. The outside rim which supports the fish tank only along the four edges is perfectly satisfactory.

When the stand rests on a rug or linoleum, furniture coasters should be used to prevent damage. Some buyers are surprised to see that there is no lip around a stand to prevent sliding. Because of a fish tank’s construction, all of the weight and pressure are directed straight down, and it would require a very heavy shove to dislodge a tank. In fact, a shove heavy enough to move a full fish tank is more likely to break the tank before moving it. The moral of the story is: don’t shove a full fish tank.

Think twice before putting a fish tank on an expensive piece of highly polished furniture. Working around an aquarium, water is often spilled, and tank water is injurious to polished surfaces unless it is wiped up immediately. Surfaces which heat up, such as television cabinets, may cause the cement to soften. Several layers of asbestos under the tank will prevent this. A table-top stand has recently become available. This is approximately 4″ high and is designed for holding fish tanks on furniture.

Should I Buy Small or Big Aquarium Tank?

A small fish tank is not recommended because it is limited in its capacity and can very easily be overstocked. Overcrowding, like any other excess, leads to trouble. A conscientious dealer will warn about overcrowding when you are buying too many fishes. Get his advice by telling him the size of your tank. A 5 gallon aquarium is only a couple of dollars less than a 10-gallon aquarium. In fact the cost of the equipment will run about the same to outfit a 5-gallon aquarium as it would for a 10-gallon aquarium.

The reason for this is that most of the equipment you will need for the 5-gallon aquarium is the Hume used for the 10-gallon aquarium. Some of the equipment may cost more for the 5-gallon aquarium if it is not a popular item that is mass produced. Gallon for gallon, a small tank costs more than a large one. Therefore buying a very small tank is not really economical at all.

There are two types of stands available in most pet shops, wrought iron and wood. You will find the iron stands to be less expensive, although many of the wooden stands are competitively priced. The iron stands are open on all sides, while many of the wooden models are enclosed to give a (cabinet-like appearance with doors in front.

It is a good idea if you can afford it. The equipment required is somewhat more expensive, requiring heavier- duty heating and filtering units than the smaller, average- size tank. But remember that if something goes wrong due to mishandling, a change often becomes necessary. And it is quite a chore to change all the water and clean the gravel in a 40- or 50-gallon tank.

A large tank has certain decided advantages. A large number of fishes can be kept without overcrowding, and they will usually grow better than when kept in smaller confines. There are several species of fishes which tend to be pugnacious when crowded into a small aquarium. Many of these same fishes are quite peaceful when given more “fin room.” Scenically, an artistic person can really let himself go with a large aquarium. A little imagination can transform a large aquarium into an enchanting underwater garden, with grottoes and mountains, valleys, and even lawns. A lovely little plant, Micro Sagittaria, never grows more than an inch or so high. Planted toward the front of an aquarium, it soon covers the bottom with a luxuriant green lawn. Best of all, it requires no mowing!

Tropical Fish-Is A Beta Fish Right For Your Tropical Fresh Water Aquarium!

Many people love tropical fish tanks. Yet, keeping some of the tropical fish living may not be the easiest thing to do. Some people may randomly walk into a pet shop and be fascinated with the available fish.

Others may know a friend or family member who keeps fish and slowly develop the infamous “itch” to start their first aquarium. For many people, Beta fish are the best fish to start with.

There are many reasons why having a betta as your first tropical fish is a good choice. Bettas do not require complicated aquarium setups or accessories that most other fish do.

They are much easier to keep living than any other type of fish as they are very hearty.

Beta fish are also fairly inexpensive so you can use the extra money to buy other items for your tank.

Beta fish care is also much simpler than caring for other tropical fish. If you keep your fish tank at approximately 80 Fahrenheit and feed the proper amount of betta pellets (just a small pinch twice per day), you will run into very few problems. You also need to much less when it comes to changing the water as well.

The male Beta is most likely the heartiest of all the fish and you can easily get other fish to keep them company if you so choose.

Once you see how easy it is to keep betta fish living and thriving in tropical fish tanks, you may want to be certain you get a few of them.